Subscribe

quarta-feira, novembro 21, 2007

"I come to you humbled after seeing some of the most precious treasures of our planet -- treasures that are being threatened by humanity's own hand.

Antarctica, the Torres del Paine glaciers, the Amazon -- all humanity must assume responsibility for these jewels, on behalf of succeeding generations.

In Antarctica, the message was chillingly simple: the continent's glaciers are melting. I saw the heart-bursting beauty of ice shelves that have already started to break up. I was told that if large quantities of Antarctica's ice were to melt, sea levels could rise catastrophically.

In the Amazon, I saw how the rainforest -- the "lungs of the earth"-- is being suffocated. Brazil is making serious strides in fighting deforestation and promoting sustainable forest management. But the Government fears that global warming is already undercutting these efforts. If the Panel's most severe projection comes true, much of the Amazon rainforest will transform into savannah.

In Punta Arenas, Chile, near the centre of the famous ozone hole in the earth's atmosphere, children wore protective clothing against ultraviolet radiation. There are days when parents don't let them play outside, or even go to school.

These scenes are as frightening as a science fiction movie. But they are even more terrifying, because they are real."

"Today, the time for doubt has passed. The IPCC has unequivocally affirmed the warming of our climate system, and linked it directly to human activity"

"Slowing or even reversing the existing trends of global warming is the defining challenge of our ages"